THE distraught parents of a suspected cot-death baby described to an inquest the desperate battle to resuscitate their “little warrior”.

Stuart Cooke and partner Mandy Rae awoke in the early hours to find the seven-week-old baby lying motionless in their bed, Teesside Coroners’ Court heard.

Only a short time before the tragedy, little Callum Cooke had been fed and tucked up in his Moses basket at the family home in Boswell Street, Middlesbrough.

As the couple fought back tears at yesterday’s inquest, a statement by Mr Cooke, 29, was read out, describing the harrowing moment he heard his hysterical partner scream “He’s dead” and dial 999.

“I immediately looked at him and thought he was dead. He was white but blue around the mouth and was cold to the touch. I looked out into the street to see if there was anybody who could help me.

“Mandy was on the phone but she was not able to talk to the lady. I put the phone on speaker and she gave me advice. She told me to put Callum on to a flat surface and gave instructions on how to give mouth to mouth. But I could not see if Callum was breathing. I kept doing it until the ambulance arrived.”

Despite the efforts of paramedics and doctors, the couple’s only child was pronounced dead a short time later at James Cook University Hospital.

Born premature and weighing 2lbs 7oz, Callum was admitted to a special baby unit and spent five weeks in hospital before he was discharged, the inquest heard.

A statement by Miss Rae, 19, said: “Since losing Callum I feel empty. We called him our little warrior and I miss him so much. I miss the routine of looking after him. I’ve cried so much since his death. I feel drained. I feel as if I have no tears left to cry.”

A post-mortem revealed no abnormalities or injuries to Callum and a pathologist said the most likely cause of his death on March 31 was sudden infant death syndrome. An investigation by Cleveland Police found no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.